Inventions, Discoveries and More

Tag: Aluminum

Paul-Louis Toussaint Heroult created the Electric Arc Furnace (Heated by a carbon arc at very high temp.) in France. At first it was used to melt scrap iron, then later in the Hall-Heroult process, the electrolytic refinement process of aluminum.

Additional Information:

Electric arc furnace – Wikipediandustrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one ton capacity (used in foundries for producing cast iron products) up to about 400 ton units used for secondary steelmaking.

When was the electric arc furnace invented?The German-born British inventor Sir William Siemens first demonstrated the arc furnace in 1879 at the Paris Exposition by melting iron in crucibles. In this furnace, horizontally placed carbon electrodes produced an electric arc above the container of metal.

What does electric arc furnace do?Steel scrap (or other ferrous material) is first tipped into the EAF from an overhead crane. A lid is then swung into position over the furnace. This lid contains electrodes which are lowered into the furnace. An electric current is passed through the electrodes to form an arc.